Cole Community Church Growth Groups Leaders Guide for Isaiah 9:8 10:4 Week of November 6, 2016 In Whom Do You Trust? The propitious smiles of heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which heaven itself hath ordained. George Washington, President of the United States of America, 1789 Introduction: In the previous section Assyria is coming against Israel, and in the subsequent section the Lord judges Assyria. This section addresses how it is that Ephraim s alliance with Assyria and against Judah will come to nothing in the end. It is also timely since many of the same attitudes that foreshadowed the events in this passage are being displayed even today in recent events in the United States. Read Isaiah 9:8 10:4 Q. 1. There are four distinct sections in this passage, starting at verses 9:8, 9:13, 9:18, and 10:1. Read each of these sections and observe what each one says, what the people do and what the Lord does. Summarize the theme of each. Note any repetition between the sections. 9:8-12 Pride or Arrogance. The people assert their will in the face of destruction, rebuilding in their own strength without seeking the Lord. The Lord sends adversaries against them. 9:13-17 False Leadership or Deceivers. The people do not recognize that it is the Lord who is disciplining them for their arrogant disregard of Him nor do they turn back to the Lord. The Lord removes, cuts off both the leaders and the false prophets because they are leading the people away from the Lord instead of showing them the way back to the Lord in repentance. The Lord removes his blessing. 9:18-21 Loss of Brotherly Love or Lawlessness. Wickedness, doing what is morally wrong, becomes rampant and consumes the land and those who live in it. The Lord allows this to happen from within. 10:1-4 Social Injustice or Wickedness. The civic leaders pervert justice and reject kindness, instead seeking to gain from the oppressed. The Lord removes his protection and allow the people to be taken away, with no choice remaining. The repeated phrase at the end of each section: For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. (ESV) In all this, His anger is not removed and His hand is still raised to strike (HCSB) The Lord is wholly righteous and His judgements are just. He will continue to discipline His people until they repent and return to Him.
Q. 2. Verses 8-9. What is it that the Lord sends against Jacob, and who understands what it means? What is the message and what do you understand it to mean? (Refer to Deuteronomy 4:5-9, Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Galatians 6:7) The Lord sends a word or message. This is not just a casual note, but a deafening declaration about what the people are doing. The Lord leaves no ambiguity in His word against them, although the people may choose to ignore His truth. The message is clear. The nation is not following the Lord. In their arrogant defiance they will plan and work to make a name for themselves and provide their own security. The Lord Himself gave the law to Moses. God is near when we call to Him in truth. No nation s laws supersede God s law. (Deuteronomy 4:5-9) There is only one God, YHWH. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) God will not be mocked. (Galatians 6:7) Q. 3. Verse 10. How do the people respond to the assault against them from the neighboring nations? What specifically do they say has happened and what will they do in response? What are they really saying to the Lord? (Genesis 11:1-9) The quote in verse 10 has two parts: the bricks have fallen, and the sycamores have been cut down. Oswalt notes that this is not necessarily a specific quote but rather Isaiah is using these words to convey the attitude which existed at that time in the northern kingdom. The people are doing the same thing they did at the tower of Babel in Genesis 11:1-9 when they were all speaking the same language of defiance and uniting with a common goal to make a name for themselves and build a tower to reach the heavens, showing that they did not need the Lord, YHWH. The use of hewn stones is a statement about building with their own might. In Exodus20:25 the Lord says that if you build an altar to Him you should not use cut stones because the wielding your tool upon it profanes it. Granted, this passage does not say they are building an altar, however, they are in effect building an altar to themselves. The sycamore was a common tree, but the cedar was more useful and valuable. Oswalt concludes that the Israelites were relying on their own resilience and resourcefulness to turn disaster into accomplishment. Q. 4. The first section is a statement of Israel s actions, but the next three are predictive and conclude with questions in verse 10:3 and answers in verse 10:4. Do the answers need to be these answers? (Isaiah 57:14-21, Isaiah 58:6-12, Psalm 51:14-17) What if in verse 9 instead of pride and arrogance of heart the response had been a humble and contrite heart? Read Isaiah 57:14-21, Isaiah 58:6-12, Psalm 51:14-17.
Isaiah 57:14-21 14 And it will be said, Build up, build up, prepare the way, Remove every obstacle out of the way of My people. 15 For thus says the high and exalted One Who b lives forever, whose name is Holy, I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite. 16 For I will not contend forever, Nor will I always be angry; For the spirit would grow faint before Me, And the breath of those whom I have made. 17 Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry and struck him; I hid My face and was angry, And he went on turning away, in the way of his heart. 18 I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners, 19 Creating the a praise of the lips. Peace, peace to him who is far and to him who is near, Says the LORD, and I will heal him. 20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea, For it cannot be quiet, And its waters toss up refuse and mud. 21 There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked. Isaiah 58:6-12 6 Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? 7 Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh? 8 Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry, and He will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from your midst, The c pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,
10 And if you a give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday. 11 And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. 12 Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up the age-old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, The restorer of the streets in which to dwell. Psalm 51:14-17 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness. 15 O Lord, a open my lips, That my mouth may declare Your praise. 16 For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. Q. 5. How does this apply to us today in the United States of America? (Psalm 127:1, John 14:6) The founding documents of this country reveal that the basis for most of the ideals they put forth are Judeo-Christian values. While not explicitly a Christian nation, as the first official act of the newly formed Congress on April 30, 1789, President George Washington and the Congress dedicated the nation and its government to the Lord. Surely the Lord is remembering that dedication today. The quote in Isaiah 9:10 should raise alarm to anyone hearing it, understanding the context in which it was made. On the day after the attack of September 11, 2001, this scripture was quoted by Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle in the U.S. Congress as the nation s official response to the attack. Three years later, at a commemoration of the attack, Senator John Edwards again quoted this scripture in Congress as a vow of defiance. Senator John Kerry stated that we will rebuild, that the tower is a symbol of defiance, that we are not afraid, we are defiant! At an Independence Day dedication of the new World Trade Center in 2004, the Governor of New Jersey stated, Today, we, the heirs of that revolutionary spirit of defiance, lay this cornerstone. Many have rallied to the cause to rebuild bigger, better, and stronger with an attitude of defiance. Few have sought the Lord with repentant hearts.
There is an astonishing parallel between the events surrounding the attack of September 11, 2001, and the nation s response to it, and the events that were facing the nation of Israel and their response to them in this passage. Let the reader understand. The Constitution begins with the preamble which states that We the People of the United States do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. We must remember that we are responsible to seek God s Kingdom and follow His leading, and leave the consequences for the country in God s hands. For some of us, that may mean running for office; for others, it will mean caring for our aging parents or our difficult children; for all, it means faithfully following God and doing what He has called us to do. Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. (Psalm 127:1) Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through me. (John 14:6) Q. 6. What is the Lord calling you to do with your life, your position, and whatever responsibilities the Lord has given you? Micah 6:6-8 6 With what shall I come to the LORD And bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, With yearling calves? 7 Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love mercy, And to walk e humbly with your God? Psalm 33:12 Happy is the nation whose God is YHWH the people He has chosen to be His own possession! rbt